Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-12-10


.sThis has been the secret curse of the
family for eighty years, and viii continue
until that poor old frame wears out. Come
back to the library and win tell you all.
With the evidence before me, and the fact
that it was told by my father, whose truth
fulness no on could doubt, vas forced to
credit the story Thus it was
Guy and John had been very much attached
to each other, and when Guy married John
still remained in the house. They were CO
heirs, but that mattered little; they practi-
cally had but one purse The fatality att
tending the family came. Ny great grand
mother died, leaving my grandfather, boy
of . years. Ny great grandfather did not
marry again, though time soon softened his
grief. One day, when he had begun to re-
ceive company, his guest was a French gen
tleman, NJ Delille. After dinner the guest
happened to mention that he was pupil of
NJ. Mesmer and was well yersed in his System.
Some good natured skepticism being evinced
as to the power of producing hypnotic sleep,
he offered to experiment on his host, and did
so successfully. Then he proposed to try it
on John, who assented. He was equally
successful there. He put number of quss-
tons to John while in the mesrneric state,
which were answered, to his brothers great
delight. The windows were open, as the day
was warm. They were what were called at
the time French windows, opening to the
floor, on a narrow balcony with low railing.
One of the answers seemed so comical that
the Frenchman fell into a fit of laughter, SO
violent that he lost his balance and fell back
ward out of the window and over the balcony
to the ground, the chamber being in the Sec
ond story. My father ran down to assist him,
but he was past assistance. The man had
broken his neck.
There was a coroner's inquest, whose YER
dict was in accordance with the facts. When
that was over my father went i'll to John,
who in the excitement of the moment had
been forgotten. He found him still in the
mesmeric stupor and tried to awaken him.
Failing in this, he sent for the family physi-
clan, to whom he detailed the circumstances.
Every effort was in vain. The doctor insist
ed that it was cataleptic fit; he pooh poohed
at Mesmer and his devices But whatever 1T
was, John could not be aroused, and was put
TO bed. Thus he had remained through these
long years. To avoid scandal, the secret had
been kept in the family. His food, which
was given him by stomach tube, was OF a
liquid character, and had served to maintain
life. His brother had attended him, per-
forming the most servile offices faithfully
and well. When his son was near manhood
he had let him into the secret. When the
latter married, the wife, in time, was made
acquainted with it. Thus it had gone from
father to son, and ON down, the Trelawneys
being chained to a living corpse
OF course accepted share in the respon-
sibiity of the secret. What else could do!
Y Nv
my father | would wait, l said, until all
was over John Trelawny was now over l0o
years old He could not last much longer.
When l asked my father why no attempt
had been made to awaken the mesmerized
man, he replied that the secret of doing that
had died with Delille This stimulated me.
/ eagerly read and studied all about the sub
iect, and when it came my turn to wait on
the old man l made number of expert
mental reverse passes, but always in vain.
Two years after this my father exhibited
marked symptoms of an incurable disease,
with which he fingered for nearly two years
more, when he died.
The secret had now become my sole bur
dem John Trelawney, if we could give the
corpse living name, had been reduced
almost to a skeleton, withered and dried up,
but still alive / had given up all hope of
resuscitating him. But he exercised over me
a grim fascination. l used to remain after l
had fed him with the stomach tube and sit
and read an hour or so, with bottle of wine
before me, though l only slipped single
glass One day l had taken solitary pamph-
let, German magazine rather. and on
glancing over its pages l noticed paper on
"Hypnotism." The only thing in it which
excited me was a statement of the author
that there was no difficulty in arousing one
from the artificial sleep provided the reverse
passes were continued without intermission,
and the operator had faith in his OWE powers
and an unconquerable will.
II know" | said, "that have all the will
power in which the Trelawneys have been
deficient, and | will control this man. He
shall awaken"
began making Tie reverse passes over the
PROSTATE form, and continued them without
intermission until my arms ached. But l
kept on.
"You shall awaken" said, and meant it.
Suddenly the figure beneath me uttered
deep sigh.
How my heart thro5bed! 1 continued the
passes.
John Trelawney opened his eyes, looked
around, half closed his eyes and fell back, /
ran to the table, filed glass of wine and
poured it between his lips. To my intense
delight he swallowed it, though apparently
with difficulty 1t seemed to invigorate him.
He half raised himself, while / supported
him, and, looking in my face, said in a thin,
piping voice:
'sWhere am II Who are you2"
81 am Guy Trelawney," l replied.
"Guy Trelawney! Nonsense! You are not
my brother! Ali" he continued, looking
around and then at me. 81 see it now. This
is dreamm
With that he closed his eyes.
put him gently down and procured an
other glass of wine. "Take this, Uncle john"
/ said; lit will do you good"
HE calls me Uncle John,'" he muttered.
.Just now he wanted to pass for my brother.
What a queer dream Wine, eh! Well, it
does seem natural in taste